Many homes today have fireplaces where a flue in a chimney connects the outside air to the fireplace. Such a connection can result in leakage of cold air into the home. A damper was used in some instances to keep the cold air out. That is, in some instances a damper was positioned in the flue and was movable between a closed position which prevented air from leaking into or out of the home and an open position which allowed air to flow and exhaust products of combustion to flow out of the home. Such known dampers were controlled by a chain, handle, lever or the like and an operator had to remember to open the damper prior to starting a fire in the fireplace, or else the products of combustion would become trapped in the home.
The products of wood fireplaces can include soot and smoke. Soot and smoke are visible, and if a wood fireplace had a damper which was closed, it would become immediately apparent that the damper was closed upon combustion of the wood. However, the products of incomplete gas combustion can be invisible and toxic (CO2, CO, for example). Because of this potentially hazardous situation, ventilation of air has been required for gas fireplaces where dampers have been used. That is, the damper had to be permanently blocked open. Further, in many places dampers were not allowed to be used in combination with gas fireplaces. It would be highly desirable to have a damper positioned in a fireplace, particularly a gas fireplace, so as to prevent air from entering or exiting a home and which is also safe and reliable.